All Terrain Scout Transport
The All Terrain Scout Transport (AT-ST), also known as the chicken walker for its two-legged design, was a bipedal walker used by the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War and beyond.Star Wars: Return of the Jedi It was a successor of the AT-PT. Characteristics Main design .]] Colloquially known as a "chicken walker" because of its shape and walking motion, the AT-ST was a light, heavily-armed, ground combat vehicle, and able to trek various environments. The stock model was equipped with a chin-mounted, double blaster cannon, a light E-web twin blaster cannon on the port side, a concussion grenade launcher on the starboard side of its head, two clawed feet, and was encased with 9095-T8511 grade durasteel. The AT-ST was designed to be a recon, hit-and-run vehicle. It was lighter than its bigger brother, the AT-AT, and could withstand standard blaster fire, but was vulnerable to heavy laser fire and missiles, as well as physical attacks to the legs and the side of the head. The latter weakness was witnessed during the Battle of Endor, when the Ewok tribal warriors destroyed an AT-ST by using logs to ram the sides of the walker's head. The AT-ST could also be infiltrated by species with great physical strength. At Endor, the Wookiee, Chewbacca, forced his way through the top hatch and took control of the walker in this manner. The AT-ST's chin blasters had an effective range of two kilometers and were used for anti-vehicle attacks, while the armor-shielded blaster cannon and grenade launcher provided close-range protection against infantry and light emplacements. Like the AT-AT, the AT-ST utilized a holographic targeting system, allowing a 360-degree view of its position. The armor was not sufficient to withstand blasts from starship cannons, but was impervious to small-arms fire. In addition, according to Leia Organa Solo, the area behind the angled viewport visors was weak enough to be susceptible to missile fire, although Han Solo wondered with surprise how she knew that. The 8.6-meter-tall walkers were piloted by a crew of two Imperial Army pilots and carried 200 kilograms of cargo, which had to be loaded and unloaded via the single hatch located atop the superstructure accessible using a series of handholds placed on the sides of the walker. However, for practicality, the preferred method of entry inside military bases was to use a loading platform. The bipedal propulsion system was one of the primary weaknesses of the AT-ST. On even terrain, the walker could achieve over 90 kilometers per hour, but on uneven or shifting terrain, a walker could quickly become unbalanced enough to fall over. In rare cases, AT-STs are even capable of leaping when in combat with an enemy.Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back An advanced gyro system, located beneath the command module, provided the balance needed, but could be easily damaged. Following the Battle of Hoth, Rebel tacticians learned to ambush and immobilize AT-ST's; once trapped, a well-placed rifle shot could destroy the walker's gyro system. Modular attachments . The AT-STs have various modifications added.]] The AT-ST was a highly modular walker design, being able to switch weapons slots and additional tools to fulfill a variety of roles on the battlefield. Known modifications included a top-mounted, shielded gun turret for soldiers standing on lookout, mortars bolted to the upper side of the turret, side-mounted six-slot rocket launchers instead of laser cannons, and grenade launcher mounts on the walker's lower cheeks. Other modifications included communications antennae, using additional armor plates to cover the battery packs and having a winch system underneath the chin gun. During the construction of the Imperial base on Endor, several AT-STs had their chin guns replaced with metal clamps and were used to tear down trees and make clearings for future construction. History Engineers at Kuat Drive Yards were busy developing a new bipedal walker, known as the All Terrain Scout Transport, following their construction and success of the AT-PT and AT-DP. The earliest models were deployed by the Empire during the early stages of the Galactic Civil War. The conflict also saw the debut of several other bipedal walker designs, like the AT-AR. Under the Empire, Balmorra was the center of AT-ST production. The AT-ST was later viewed by Imperial commanders as a highly versatile weapon, excelling against infantry and lightly armored vehicles, but also useful for protecting vital units and patrolling hostile areas. AT-STs were used by Blizzard Force during the Battle of Hoth. The Blizzard Force AT-ST was specially modified for polar climates, as were all the vehicles used on Hoth. It was equipped with ground-penetrating sensor equipment that could detect instabilities in the permafrost and relay information back to the heavier vehicles, thus ensuring they avoided unstable ground. The walkers had a unit insignia consisting of a horned helmet. In the Battle of Endor, AT-STs were deployed by the Empire against Rebel and Ewok ground troops. The walkers were very effective against these troops, until many of them were destroyed by Ewok traps and another AT-ST was hijacked by Chewbacca with the help of some Ewoks. The AT-ST's problem with shifting terrain, despite the designation "All-Terrain," was demonstrated during the Battle of Endor, when Ewoks released a large pile of logs and stones to roll down the hill into the path of an AT-ST. The walker was unable to handle the rapidly shifting ground and, despite attempts by the pilot to stabilize the vehicle, it fell on its side and was destroyed. The Ewoks also used strategically positioned logs hanging from trees to eliminate several other walkers. As a direct result of the losses inflicted on the Empire in Endor, AT-STs were later forbidden from being deployed onto worlds composed extensively of forests or natives with primitive weaponry. The Empire would go on to use AT-STs, though not as extensively. Following the Galactic Civil War, AT-STs and AT-ATs were also used by the New Republic. They were considered as quite old vehicles and were relegated to local planetary defense forces. Appearances *''Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire'' *''Star Wars: Starfall'' *''Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader'' *''Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike'' *''Star Wars Missions 20: Total Destruction'' *''Star Wars Missions 14: The Monsters of Dweem'' *''Star Wars: Rogue Squadron'' *''Star Wars: River of Chaos'' *''Star Wars: Allegiance'' * * * * * * *''Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'' * *''Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire'' *''Star Wars 51: Resurrection of Evil'' *'Star Wars: A World to Conquer *''Star Wars: Return of the Jedi'' *''Star Wars: The Truce at Bakura'' *''Star Wars: Night Attack'' *''X-Wing: Rogue Leader 1'' *''X-Wing: Rogue Leader 2'' *''X-Wing Rogue Squadron 1: The Rebel Opposition, Part 1'' *''X-Wing Rogue Squadron 2: The Rebel Opposition, Part 2'' *''X-Wing Rogue Squadron 4: The Rebel Opposition, Part 4'' *''Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron: Battleground: Tatooine'' *''Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squadron: In the Empire's Service'' * *''Dark Forces: Rebel Agent'' *''Dark Forces: Jedi Knight'' *''Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II'' *''Star Wars: Easy Credits'' * * * *''X-Wing: Rogue Squadron'' *''Star Wars: Whispers in the Dark'' *''Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia'' * *''Star Wars: Dark Force Rising'' * *''Star Wars: Crimson Empire'' *''Star Wars: Darksaber'' *''Jedi Academy: Leviathan'' *''Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast'' *''Star Wars: Union'' *''X-Wing: The Krytos Trap'' *''Junior Jedi Knights: Vader's Fortress'' *''Young Jedi Knights: Shadow Academy'' *''Young Jedi Knights: Diversity Alliance'' *''The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse'' *''The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force'' *''Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy'' }} Notes and references }} Category:All Terrain Scout Transport variants Category:All Terrain Scout Transports Category:Balmorran Arms products Category:Imperial Department of Military Research products Category:Imperial walkers Category:Kuat Drive Yards products Category:New Republic vehicles